Skill progression

From: Andrew Barton <AndrewBarton_at_...>
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 12:50:18 -0500


>"We say "perhaps" because in most works of adventure fiction,
..<snip>....,
>you rarely see characters palpably improve over the course of their
>adventures.

For an extreme counter-example, Lyndon Hardy's 'Master of the Five Magics' - most of the book is about the hero acquiring a far broader range of knowledge than anyone else, but finding it's not enough for what he wants in life.

Or, in Lord of the Rings, we don't get any direct descriptions of characters improving over time. But, when Merry and Pippin return to the Shire, they suddenly realise how changed they are from when they left.

Tamora Pierce's 'Protector of the Small' series is mostly about her heroine's training and personal growth from starting as a page to qualifying as a knight and leader of men (with the extra handicap of being only the second woman ever to seek such training in her society).

I could quote dozens of other examples, those are just what my eye fell on while I was composing this note.

Andrew

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